Ten miners are confirmed to have died in explosions at a gold mine in China.
A total of 22 miners working about 600 meters (2,000 feet) underground were trapped after an explosion on Jan. 10 at the Hushan mine in Qixia, a major gold-producing region in China’s coastal Shandong province.
The bodies of nine miners were found Monday following the earlier death in the mine of one worker who had lapsed into a coma.
Eleven others were rescued a day earlier. One miner is still missing.
The cause of the accident at the mine, which was under construction, is being investigated. The explosions two weeks ago released 70 tons of debris that blocked a shaft, disabling elevators and trapping workers underground.
Chen Yumin, director of the rescue group, told reporters that the nine workers recovered Monday died more than 400 meters (1,320 feet) below ground. He said there had been two explosions about an hour and a half apart, with the second explosion causing more damage.
